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Ocean Park (HK)
= = Ocean Park (Traditional Chinese character|Chinese: 海洋公園; Pinyin: Hǎiyáng Gōngyuán) is a theme park in the Southern District, Hong Kong of Hong Kong Island. The marine-themed amusement park covers the area of Wong Chuk Hang and Nam Long Shan, and is Hong Kong's first and very own theme park. As being one of the major tourist attractions in Hong Kong and Asia, it currently attracts over 4 million visitors every year. The park opened on 10th January,1977. The park is operated by Ocean Park Corporation which is a statutory board. It offers affordable marine animal education and entertainment and is a private organization for commercial purposes. The park has an area of 870,000 square metres. The different parts of the park are connected by cable car, as well as the world's second longest outdoor escalator. The theme park currently has over 40 rides and attractions. The park is now extending from the Highland Area. New roller coasters and some other facilities will be built. Moreover, several minor constructions in Lowland Area are in progress. Ocean Park features a Giant panda exhibit, a butterfly garden, a shark tank, and a three-storey aquarium, as well as numerous rides. The park also has its own cable car system, which takes visitors from one side of the park to the other (the two parts are separated from each other by hills). The official mascot of Ocean Park is "Whiskers" -- a waving sealion. Besides being an amusement park, Ocean Park Hong Kong also includes observatories, well developed laboratories, an education department and a Whales And Dolphins Fund. Ocean Park Hong Kong was the first institution in the world to have success in artificial insemination of bottle nose dolphins, and developed numerous new breeds of goldfish, proving the standard of its laboratories. Attractions Headlands Rides * The Dragon- A steel rollercoaster with a maximum speed of 77 km/h with 842 metres of track. The ride lasts approximately 2.5 minutes. * The Abyss Turbo Drop * Flying Swing * The Eagle * Crazy Galleon * Ferris Wheel- Turning 1.4-1.8 circles a minute. It's wheel diameter is 24m and it's height is 27m. * Headland Games Adventure Land * Mine Train - A rollercoaster with a maximum speed of 71 km/h with 678 metres of track. * Space Wheel * Raging River * Ocean Park Escalator - The second longest outdoor escalator in the world at 224m (745ft), behind Central Mid Levels escalator Marine Land * Pacific Pier * Atoll Reef * Shark Aquarium * Ocean Theater * Ocean Park Tower * Sea Jelly Spectacular (newly opened in 2006) Lowland Gardens * Giant Panda Habitat - Home to two giant pandas, An An (male) and Jia Jia (female) * Dinosaurs- Now and Then * Butterfly House * Goldfish Pagoda * Whiskers' Wild Ride * Amazing Amazon * The Amazing Birds Show * Caverns of Darkness 3D * Cable Car * Grand Prix Kids' World * Dolphin University * Whiskers Theatre * Rides for Kids * Tiny Town Games Bird Paradise * The Aviaries * Flamingo Pond Dining Headlands Rides * Mcdonalds Restaurant * Golden Fried Chicken * Captain's Table * Ice Cream Delight Adventure Land * Mine Train Hot Dog * Raging River Squid Marine Land *''The Bayview Restaurant'' (newly opened in 2006) *''The Terrace Cafe'' (newly opened in 2006) *''Boardwalk Cafe'' *''Light House Grill'' *''Pizza Place'' *''North Breeze'' *''Ocean Express'' *''Dive Into A Float'' Lowland Gardens *''Ocean Park Square Fast Food'' *''McDonald's Restaurant'' *''Cable Car Express'' *''Coffee & Treats'' *''Mr.Squid'' *''Giant Panda'' Kids' World *''Clowns Snacks'' *''Cockatoo Express'' Bird Paradise * Middle Kingdom Restaurant * Silk Snack * Ching Bar Further development Ocean Park announced a master plan to redevelop the park into the world's best marine-based theme park, doubling the attractions and firmly establishing itself as a world-class, must-see destination that will strengthen Hong Kong as a premier tourist destination. In the next few years HK$ 5.55 billion will be spent on refurbishing Ocean Park with more than 100 new rides. The aim is to compete with Disneyland. In the last few years the Middle Kingdom, the portion of the park that features re-creations of ancient China, has been renovated. The new Ocean Park will be divided into two major areas - The Waterfront (formerly the Lowland) and The Summit (formerly the Headland). The park will be expanded to almost twice its current size and new attractions will be added including a funicular railway for transport from The Waterfront to The Summit, several new live animal shows and an area featuring polar animals. Ocean Park announced a plan to build an MTR station on the West Island Line and South Island Line to link the current subway system with Ocean Park and the south of Hong Kong Island. This project should relieve traffic at the Aberdeen Tunnel. External Link * Ocean Park Hong Kong Official Site